Dab becomes more of a catch for consumers

Sunday 9 November 2008 19.01 EST
First published on Sunday 9 November 2008 19.01 EST

Not so long ago, it was one of the discarded fish, thrown back into the sea with a dismissive toss - the dab is not ugly like gurnard, but considered not to be that tasty. But in these recession-bitten times, sales of the humble, and cheap, flatfish have risen by 47% in the last year, according to Seafish, the industry authority.

Found in waters around most of the UK, the dab had previously been overlooked in favour of sole and plaice, but as consumers become more willing to try other species, it has become more popular. Retail sales of dab for the year ending September 2008 were £1,943,000, compared with £1,325,000 the year before.

Philip MacMullen, Seafish's head of environmental responsibility, said the uptake of dab was in line with research showing that people are more willing to try a range of fish rather than focusing on traditional species such as cod and haddock. He said: "It's encouraging that it [dab] is now being introduced into supermarkets and that people are willing to give it a try. Dab is very underexploited. Next to sand eels, it is the most abundant species in the North Sea."

The dab is a "fish to eat" on the Marine Conservation Society's list because it is "fished within sustainable levels using methods which do not cause unacceptable damage to the environment or non-target species".